Celtics coach Brad Stevens accepts Ice Bucket Challenge

On Sunday, I issued the Ice Bucket Challenge to Celtics coach Brad Stevens in hopes of raising awareness about ALS and benefiting The Pete Frates #3 Fund‘s mission of finding a treatment and cure for the disease. Within the allotted 24 hours, Stevens accepted the challenge in an email Monday with the subject line, “On its way tomorrow …” Sure enough, the Celtics posted their coach’s response on the team’s YouTube account Tuesday.

In addition to issuing an Ice Bucket Challenge for all Celtics fans to donate and participate, Stevens dedicated his ice-dumping efforts to friend Matt White as well as longtime Boston College sports information director Dick Kelley, who succumbed to the disease in 2011. Stevens first met White ‘ who still battles ALS in Cape Haze, Fla. ‘ prior to a December 2007 game against Florida Gulf Coast University. “Amazing the effort and time he put in to share his thoughts with our teams,” Stevens shared in an email. The former Butler track athlete’s moving speech to the Bulldogs prior to their Final Four win over Michigan State in 2010 is must-watch video.